Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Norwegian Air Shuttle AS agreed to
lease two Boeing Co. 787-9 Dreamliners, adding larger models
while expanding its long-haul fleet to 10 planes as the discount
carrier broadens its reach into Asia and the U.S.

The aircraft, leased from Jordache Enterprises’ New York-based MG Aviation Ltd. unit, are scheduled to enter service in
the first quarter of 2016, the Fornebu, Norway-based airline
said in a statement today.

“To run a competitive long-haul operation, we are
dependent on brand new cost-efficient aircraft,” Chief
Executive Officer Bjoern Kjos said in the statement. “I’m very
satisfied to have secured our first two 787-9 Dreamliners.”

Norwegian Air already has three smaller 787-8 Dreamliners
and five on order. The carrier is seeking to leverage lower
operating costs to turn a profit on cut-price long-haul trips
where others such as Laker Airways have failed. The airline
began flying from Scandinavia to U.S. cities and Bangkok this
year, and will connect London Gatwick Airport with New York, Los
Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, starting in July.

The 787-9s will be able to carry as many as 20 percent more
passengers than the 787-8 version and will offer 8 percent lower
fuel consumption per seat, Norwegian Air said. The company
didn’t give a planned configuration for the new planes. Its
current layout offers 291 seats, with 32 in premium economy and
259 in economy.

Kjos said in an interview earlier this month that the
viability of discount flights hinges on using the most efficient
planes, rather than purchase costs, with the 787 burning 10
percent less fuel than Airbus SAS’s A330. The Airbus A350 would
have been an alternative option, rather than the A330, had it
been available before late 2014, he said.